


Dark Deception

by TheLadyBelladonna



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: An attempt not to bash characters, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Gray!Harry, I can't think of anything else to tag, I kinda twisted cannon to my own liking..., M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, OC's galore because I can, Slash, Tom never made any horcruxes, that's it for now, voldemort never happened, yep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 17:22:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5425463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyBelladonna/pseuds/TheLadyBelladonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a horrifying event during her childhood, Cassiopeia Lillian Black is forced to play the part of a muggle-born witch named Lily Evans to save herself and her magic. Years pass as the Black Heir is forced to be on the opposite side of the magical debate until she is finally able to fake her death and return to the Dark. She arrives along with her one-year old son, Hadrian, who is the child of her bonded Tom Riddle, The Dark Lord. Equipped with valuable knowledge from her years among the Light, Lillian will do whatever it takes to eradicate the imbalance in magical representation across the Wizarding World. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've already posted this on fanfiction.net, but I thought I might as well post it here as well. I'm going to try to post all of my already finished chapters here by the end of today.   
> Bella
> 
> Also, this fic has a lot of cannon elements to it (names, places, people, etc.) but I've manipulated them massively to my own liking, so be prepared for that, which is why I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.   
> Anywayyys... Onto the story!

Dark Deception- Prologue

October 30, 1981- Godric's Hollow

Cassiopeia Lillian Belladonna Black, better known to most of the wizarding world as Lily Potter nee Evans, was the most excited that she had been in many years. She was so exuberant that she was struggling to keep the mask that she had been using for almost a decade. She would finally be able to return to her real family, one that she had pretended not to know for the majority of her life. After tonight she would be able to stop this tiring act that she had been playing ever since she had been 'introduced' to the wizarding world. If Lily did say so herself, she had done a pretty smashing job with it; she had made the entire British wizarding community that she was in love with James Potter and that she was the perfect little light witch. As if. She scoffed at the mere thought, shaking her head slightly in annoyance. It was ridiculous how much the masses acted like lowly livestock, believing whatever what the popular belief is at the time and as a result loosing any and all intelligent and original thoughts and beliefs they had at the beginning.

A nearly inaudible yawn interrupted Lillian's inner monologue, bringing her back down into reality. She smiled slightly at the small bundle of limbs in her arms, otherwise known as Hadrian Caelum Riddle, not Harry James Potter, as most of Wizarding Britain perceived him to be. She looked around quickly to make sure that no one was around her before loosening up a small portion of her self-bound magical core, simultaneously temporarily dispelling her annoying glamour and giving her the energy necessary to wandlessly conjure up two glowing orbs of raw magic that resonated with darkness, reflecting the nature of Lillian's own magical core.

Hadrian giggled, reaching up towards the orbs of pulsating energy. Its dark tendrils unwrapped from the orbs, seemingly caressing the infant, wrapping him in its dark embrace. Hadrian reached up, his small chubby hands latching onto the orbs that were now crackling with an unnatural energy, unsettling the natural balance of everything around the mother and child.

Lillian's hair lifted up, blown by an unknown force and her eyes thundered with unforgiving energy, forming her features into ethereal beauty. The air around them hissed with the seductive state of the raw dark magic being released all around them. Hadrian's eyes widened with wonder, staring at the beautiful maelstrom of magic being released as he tried to catch the comforting dark magic that churned chaotically around them.

Slowly, Lillian coaxed the magic back into her core, the orbs along with it. She mentally berated herself for being so foolish in allowing her true magic to shine through, even if it was in such a small quantity for such a small time. She couldn't even remember the last time she had let her aura out fully. She trilled a haunting, hollow laugh that echoed around the empty house. Her attention drifted back towards the child in her arms, who was now struggling to stay awake, yawning wide every few seconds. She slowly rocked him back and forth in her arms, humming a low lullaby whose name had been lost to time.

She gracefully slid back into Hadrian's nursery and laid him down gently in his crib, allowing herself another moment to look his glamoured features, wishing that they could lift both the glamours cast upon them so that they could embrace their darkness like she truly craved. She sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump slightly in exhaustion. Her moment of weariness did not last long however, for someone came up to her, wrapping their arms around her slim waist causing her to stiffen in surprise until she leaned back into their embrace as she recognized who the intruder was.

"Tom." she murmured as he kissed up and down her neck, "You shouldn't be here. What if they come back from the meeting early?" Tom hummed, nuzzling his face into her neck, breathing slowly. In and out, in and out, its steady rhythm immediately soothed Lillian's nerves about anyone coming back to the house and finding them together. She slowly spun on her heel and let her body be shadowed by his larger frame, comforting her in the familiar nature of the gesture. Her mind registered the calming scent that was purely her Tom, her Lord, the one she was truly faithful to.

"Lillian." he breathed out, nuzzling her neck tenderly, "It is time. We should leave soon if we want to get out of this without suspicion or alerting them." He spoke slowly and tenderly, revealing that he too didn't want to break this small moment between family; his family. Family was something that Tom Riddle had craved at the small orphanage until the notion was literally beaten out of him. Family had been something that he had never believed that he would be able to have and so he had pushed the idea away taking the muggle phrase "out of sight out of mind" to heart. Well, he did this until he met Cassiopeia Lillian Belladonna Black, who had immediately captured his hard-to-earn attention.

He could still remember the first time he met her at one of the Dark Pureblood Gala's, her dress had been blood red while a crown of bones had rested on top of her dark red curls as they cascaded down her back, flowing as she moved gracefully across the floor. She had come over to her father, Lord Orion Black, with whom Tom had been engaging pleasantries. Her father had introduced his oldest and only daughter to Tom with pride. Tom, of course had heard of the Black Heiress who was deceiving the light side by making them believe she was a mere mudblood. But as she looked up at him, piercing jade eyes sparkling with mischief and taunting smile ghosting her lips, he had an immediate interest in her almost openly defying nature. As she spoke to him with a silver tongue rivaling even his own, his interest for her started to become fascination.

His fascination with the Black Heiress slowly turned into obsession and then a desire to possess her entirely had seemed almost natural as their courting developed. No, what had completely baffled him was the fact that he had not became bored of her company, quite the opposite in fact, until he fell in love and gained two of his previously ignored desires. But now he couldn't deny that the love he felt and the love that was returned to him by his family was better than anything else he had wished for as the fragile boy of the oppressive orphanage.

Pulling himself out of his contemplative thoughts, Tom gazed down at his son and heir, the proof of his and Lillian's love for each other. Unknowingly reflecting his wife's inner thoughts from only minutes previous, Tom wished that he could simply wave his hand and reduce the glamours from his son and wife. The thought reminding what he came here to do, Tom unwrapped his arms from around his lover's smaller frame and picked up their child and walked out side into the streets of Godric's Hollow. As they stood on the cobblestone street, he handed their son to Lillian as he prepared his magic for the illusion he was about to create. The air became thick with an ancient ruthless magic as Tom started to chant in Latin, focusing completely on his desire for his plan to work so he could keep his family safe. As his speech came to a close, the dark aura surrounding him dissolved into the air, blending in with its surroundings seamlessly once again.

The aftereffects of the spell were just as spectacularly as he had first hoped as he devoured the sight from within the bubble of disillusionment his Lillian erected as soon as he had started on his spell. First there was an explosion that shook the foundations of every house on the street that originated from the cottage in front of the disillusioned family, as Grindelwald's mark was visible in the quickly rising flames that tore into the cottage with a fevered vengeance. Tom simultaneously felt like cackling in glee and sighing with relief as the spell-which had originally been created by Grindelwald's right hand, Alexandra Ivanov- did exactly what he wanted to. Occasional attacks from Grindelwald supporters were not unheard of, though the German had been locked up in Numengard for many years. As Lillian had been using a stolen time turner to attend the more public gatherings on his arm with their son, so that there was no way that this would or ever could be connected to his family.

As the Leader of the Dark looked on the burning house with a satisfied feeling simmering within him, he gathered his wife and son in his embrace and then disappeared from Godric's Hollow silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated :3


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Aftermath

October 31, 1981- Wizengamot Chambers, Ministry of Magic

If he had known how much a headache this would give him, Tom felt that he wouldn't have blown up Godric's Hollow the previous night. Well, almost. The light wizards that were now running about like headless chickens were going to drive him insane. Even the so-called Leader of the Light couldn't placate those under his power, which in Tom's opinion just solidified his views that Dumbledore was an incompetent fool. Tom's annoyance was so great that even most of those of the Dark Sect could sense the growing ire behind Tom's indifferent mask.

Luckily for the petty light wizards, Amelia Bones, the neutrally aligned witch who was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had also reached the end of her patience. She illuminated the room with her wand tip in an adapted Patronus, temporarily blinding those who were discussing the murder of Lady Potter and her son. Tom barely refrained himself from snorting in disgust of their plebian actions. This was one of the reasons he had aspired to become the Dark Lord in the first place, after all. For if the sheep believed themselves to be the shepherds then the wizarding world would be dragged backwards instead of the slow crawl forwards that he was trying to encourage as of late. An image of Dumbledore as a shepherd coaxing some sheep backwards twirling like a ballerina and in a pink tutu popped up in his mind and he fought back a snort. He could not afford to snort; Dark Lords do not snort. He forced himself to pay attention to what was going on in front of him, as it seemed that Amelia finally had everyone under control.

"-Nothing we can do about it. You saw Grindelwald's mark, this was another attack from a deranged witch or wizard who still believes in the 'Greater Good'." Amelia's logical viewpoint seemed to calm the previously frantic members of the Wizengamot. The idiotic little sheep nodded along to her statements, seemingly seeing the logic in her statements. Even James Bloody Potter seemed to be subdued, choosing to stare at the pristine marble floor morosely.

After all, who could argue their logic? The aurors had found two charred bodies and their blood matched those of Lily and Harry Potter. On a completely unrelated note, Polyjuice Potion was permanent if the taker died while the potion's properties were still in effect. It also helped to have one Severus Snape, potions master extraordinaire at your service to tweak the potion to duplicate the form's physical information as well. It really was a shame that the Ministry was as incompetent as ever to make everything that much easier, Tom thought to himself maliciously as he gazed over the assembled witches and wizards of the Wizengamot with a masked sneer of disgust.

As he swept his gaze over the décor of the chamber and caught sight of blood red banner, he was reminded one of the reasons why he was so annoyed by this meeting in the first place. For the first time in years, he had his Lillian all to himself but he was stuck in this bloody emergency meeting for the Wizengamot because the fucking light wizards couldn't keep their calm over murder. Pathetic. They were all sniveling cowards, shaking in fear behind their sheep-turned-shepherd while they all believed themselves to be valiant, brave Gryffindors. They were not even worth his disgust in his opinion. Why should they be worthy of such a negative emotion from him, the Dark Lord, when they couldn't keep any semblance of order in the face of such a minor attack? Tom didn't think such a thing could or would ever be able to evoke such an emotion from him, no matter the circumstance.

In the end, it took over two hours for them to decide that there was nothing else they could do about "The Potter's Demise" as they were now dubbing it. Even by the two-hour mark, Tom was ready to start Crucio'ing the lot of them just to make them stop their irrelevant squabbling. When the meeting was adjourned, Tom gracefully swept across the chamber and through the halls to the nearest apparition point where he turned on the spot and vanished.

When he arrived at Slytherin Manor, he mentally nudged the ambient magic that occupied the estate-much like the active magic of Hogwarts itself-and stalked to the library where the ancient magic of the manor directed him. Sure enough, as he stepped into the doorframe, his wife's magical aura twined with his, radiating delight at his return as his own aura wrapped hers in a protective and reassuring embrace. He stood in the doorway a few moments to observe his Lillian, his reason for being.

She was sitting in one of the many plushy armchairs situated around the ancient library with her dark blood-red hair cascading down as she pushed a strand behind her ear as she read contentedly. Her pale skin glowed slightly as a strand of sunlight snuck through the windows and slowly travelled across her hair, lighting up single strands in a fiery hue that reflected her magical core and being; wild, untamable, mesmerizingly beautiful and most of all, free.

She paused in her reading, looking up at him through her dark eyelashes as her chaotic swirling pools of green pierced through him, shining in happiness that he, Tom Riddle, reflected. They were finally free of the burden of putting up an act for the bloody Light just to cover their less-than-innocent tracks. She slowly uncurled from her position on the armchair and a small smile was curled upon her lips as she leisurely strolled towards him. When she reached him, Tom gently pulled her into his side as she looped her arms around his middle, nuzzling her face affectionately into his robes.

Cautiously, Tom prodded their long-neglected mental connection with a small, reminiscent smile curling over one side of his lips. His smile grew as Lillian stiffened in surprise and then prodded the link back, opening her mind up to him once again. He rejoiced at the closeness that he had been missing while his Lillian was spying on the Light. A mental link was not an uncommon thing to have between those married of a dark pureblooded house. In fact, a century or so ago, it was a common thing to do with the majority of pureblood Lords and Ladies, yet it was something that most of the Light forsook in their effort to accept and reassure mudbloods of their right to belong in the wizarding world.

A mental link between a couple was normally formed between the two during an older marriage ritual in which blood was exchanged between the couple, forming a bond which then could be expanded upon depending upon how much physical interaction the couple were to have and how much effort was put into expanding the bond. Marriage Bonds were originally used between contracted purebloods to assure those involved that no blood would be shed between the two and so that they could become better adjusted to being married to someone they have no real knowledge of or companionship with.

When his Lillian had been spying on the Light, they had closed off the connection due to mutual agreement on the likelihood of Dumbledore 'subtly' probing her mind to be convinced of her innocence. Neither had wanted to risk the consequences of the Leader of the Light finding one of 'his own' having a blood bond with the Leader of the Dark. The consequences would have been disastrous. Nevertheless, now they did not have to hide anything any longer and could re-open the neglected bond. It would take a little while to have it at the strength it used to be, but it would be worth it in the end.

"Hadrian is sleeping currently, but should be awake soon enough. He has missed enough of his father's presence in his life so far and you have time to make up for, for both him and I." Lillian's voice interrupted his inner monologue as he put his finger underneath her chin up so he could look straight into her sparkling eyes.

"How do you propose that I make it up to you, love? Because I have quite a few things in mind and personally I would love to get reacquainted with every single part of you." His voice came out as a low and silky drawl that was heavy with suggestion and desire. In response, her eyes hooded slightly as she looked up into his handsome facial features that reflected the same desire that coursed through her veins.

"My Lord, what a wonderful suggestion. It just so happens that I left something of mine that I think will help this… reacquainting… of ours in our bedchambers. Won't you come and retrieve it for me?" A little known fact about his Lillian was that she was just as fiery, violent and mischievous as she was in every day life as she was when they were in bed. As Lillian sauntered around him, breaking through the hazy cloud of lust that had descended over his mind, and sashayed in the direction of their bedroom, Tom thought to himself that it was his duty to make sure his Lady's wishes were fulfilled, was it not? Besides, it had been far too long since he had properly, ah, acquainted himself with his wife, or more importantly her body.

His appreciative gaze was cut short as d minx looked back over her shoulder and called, "Are you coming, my lord? I'm sure that I can find other ways to entertain myself otherwise."

He cursed as he stalked after her retreating form as she still had him wrapped around her little finger, and they both knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated :3


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Little Hadrian

December 20, 1981- Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location.

Lillian had known since the day she had birthed him that her Hadrian would grow up to be a force to reckon with, just like his father. Tom had been nothing but loving and caring towards them in the couple of months they had been with him at Slytherin Manor. Her Hadrian had even started referring to him as "dada", much to Tom's combined annoyance and pride, as he believed that Dark Lords were not and never would be "dada's". Hadrian obviously thought otherwise and continued to call him as such, much to the Dark Sect's amusement. Lillian knew that Tom wished he had been there every step of the way since the time Hadrian was born, yet he was making up for it in every way he could. You would often see the father and son together as Tom refused to let Hadrian out of sight now that their son was confident enough to walk everywhere and anywhere he could.

Hadrian was fascinated with everything around the Manor; especially all of the snakes depicted everywhere. In fact, he could be found hissing to them, which Lillian could finally understand due to the bonding ring that was saved for the Lady Slytherin of the time. The ring acted as a translator and was the original wedding ring of Galena Slytherin, the wife of Salazar Slytherin himself. The ring was keyed into her signature so even if it were to be stolen, the thief could not use it to understand the Language of the Snakes.

The ring would work for her until Tom, as Lord Slytherin would transfer the signature over to Hadrian's beloved where Lillian would receive a similar translating ring that would acknowledge her status as one of the Noble House of Slytherin, but not as Lady Slytherin.

The ring could also allow the other speakers of the Snake's Tongue to understand her, though Lillian would never be able to speak the ancient tongue herself.

It was the ring that allowed Lillian to eavesdrop on her Tom and Hadrian as they conversed in Parseltongue. Well, as much as a Dark Lord and a one and half year old could converse. She covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to keep herself from giggling so she wouldn't get caught spying on them. And though she was sure she would enjoy the 'punishment' from Tom later that night, she still didn't want to ruin the moment for them. So she chose to observe instead of joining in the conversation.

"Dada! Snakeys ish nishe. Wight?" She heard Hadrian's childish spiel of words and could feel Tom's amusement leaking from his side of their link as he replied,

"Of course, my Hadrian, the snakes are the greatest allies of our noble bloodline."

"Shlyfer, Dada?" By now Lillian's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter as she heard Hadrian's attempt to pronounce Slytherin, or Shlyfer, as he apparently believed his ancestor's line to be called.

"Close Little Hadrian, close. Can you say Sly-ther-in?"

"Shlyfer, Dada, Shlyfer!"

Apparently, Hadrian would hard-pressed to change his belief of the pronunciation of Slytherin. Tom must have come to the same conclusion, as he let out a deep sigh of resignation and murmured something she could not hear to her Hadrian before,

"MAMA!" Lillian was promptly attacked by a little form with an ebony head of hair as it rushed towards her. She let herself be knocked to the ground by her little monster as he looked at her with large, iridescent orbs that shone with happiness only that of a small child could possess.

"Hello, my little one." Lillian looked at him adoringly as he started to babble in his childish speech about 'snakeys' and 'Dada' as he tried to retell what had happened a few minutes prior. As she was listening to her little Hadrian, her mind wandered to how he looked like her little brother Sirius in that moment, his eyes alight with happiness as he spoke at a mile a minute, oblivious to his mother's ponderings. Unfortunately, Lillian thought, Hadrian may never be able to safely interact with his Uncle due to Sirius' spy status as he posed as the "Runaway Black Heir". It had entirely too easy to fool the trusting light wizards, who even at this point were not aware that there had been multiple wolf in sheep's skin who blended in and fooled the commoners seamlessly, if Lillian did say so herself.

Lillian's wandering thoughts were interrupted as she heard her bonded's footsteps nearing closer and closer to where she lay on the lavish carpet.

"Tell me, do you enjoy spying on your Lord?" Lillian's desire for her bonded spiked as her Tom used that low, smooth voice that washed over her like the smooth dark chocolate she adored. As she looked up at her Tom's face, she saw his irises darken considerably as he felt the second hand desire from Lillian through their bond. However, Lillian wasn't about to let her Tom get the upper hand, no matter how trivial the matter.

"As a matter of fact, my Lord, I do." Lillian purred out her response. "In fact, wouldn't you agree that such behavior should be punished, my Lord? After all, you are not one to allow such behavior to go undisciplined?" By this time, her Tom's eyes were nearing obsidian in their coloring and Lillian was overcome by the strong want coming across their bond. In fact, her Tom was leaking through images of what her punishment could entail and Lillian practically shivered as her own desire made itself known, doubling the overpowering emotions coming together through the bond.

Lillian gracefully glided to her feet as she came closer and closer to her Lord, her hope, her desire, her reason for being. When she got to him, all she could see was her Tom and she could only hear her blood roaring through her veins as they ignited with desire, taking all that heated desire to her core as she was overcome by the feeling of being with Tom. She nearly exploded when the rough pad of her Lord's thumb grazed her lower lip before he leaned down, his lips so close to hers, about to touch, so close-

"Dada? Mama? Wa' dat?"

And they broke out their trance, shaking off their lust so that they could pay attention to their only child. Their little Hadrian was currently pointing to none other than Nagini, Tom's familiar who was taking a nap in the windowsill as she soaked in the warmth from the sun.

Tom answered as he slowly awoke his deadly familiar who was ecstatic once she realized that she was finally allowed to meet the "Little Lord" of her master. As the serpent and toddler were interacting, both fascinated with the other, Tom sent an impression to Lillian over their bond, making it clear that he hadn't forgotten about her punishment. Lillian shivered with anticipation at the type of punishment that Tom would give her.

And that night, during Lillian's punishments, she gave her Tom all she was over and over into the early hours of the morning.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Little Trouble Maker

April 21, 1982- Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location.

Nagini's excitement with the "Little Lord" ended soon enough, as Hadrian chose the large reptile to be his newest form of personal entertainment. He would go around with her everywhere, babbling along in his childish speech in Parseltongue. Tom found it hilarious that his son-who barely qualified as a toddler-was dragging along his unwilling familiar everywhere, especially since she was feared by most of the wizarding world. Nagini, of course, refused to admit that she was being dragged along by a child of less than two years of age and wouldn't talk to Tom for long periods of time whenever the Slytherin Lord brought up the subject.

Luckily for Nagini, Hadrian eventually found something new to entertain himself with, and the large hybrid was given some peace from the little menace.

One Saturday afternoon, Hadrian escaped his Watcher's eyes and went out into the garden from which he could see the vast forest that surrounded Slytherin Manor. Hadrian immediately became fixated on the forest, talking and asking about nothing else even many days after.

Tom was worried that his son might decide to go into the forest and get himself hurt or even permanently disfigured. Tom couldn't even use his magical 'gaze' that he had as Lord of Slytherin Manor and its grounds, as the dense trees and foliage shrouded itself in an aura of darkness, much like the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Not that he was a stranger to the more questionable side of Magic, but the forests surrounding the Manor were untamed and unknown, something he did not want his heir to become victim to some unknown beast in the forest before Tom could save his only child.

So Tom put a tracking charm on Hadrian's favorite woven bracelet that was already filled with protection runes and charms. After all, nothing mattered more to Tom than his family-though he would never admit to it out loud-and he would go to any lengths to protect them, even if it meant his own life. As long as his family was safe and protected, nothing else mattered. Not to say that Tom wasn't ambitious; he was, after all, the leader of the Dark Sect in one of the magical communities with the most potential-in Tom's opinion, that is. Although his vision for the wizarding world may horrify some-mainly the sheep that were the light witches and wizards of Magical Britain-his Lillian had approved the final outlines for his plans. That isn't to say that she had agreed with his first draft of his plans; in fact, she despised some of his original goals, most of which had been more on the violent side of things.

But with his bonded's help, he no longer wished for the eradication of muggles and mudbloods, nor any of his other goals that were not, for all intents and purposes, ah, sane or logical. For example, his aforementioned desire to eradicate over six billions humans, thus eradicating the possibility of the eradication of the wizarding world. It made sense in his mind, yet not to any one else, apparently. Well, he supposed that not many could casually think about genocide over a mug of butterbeer. Even if it is about the annihilation of the filth, Tom thought with a sneer. However, if his Lillian thought genocide to be illogical, then he would listen to her, as she was as close to a moral compass as he could get. If nothing else, she could curb some of his worst tendencies to lash out, most of which were cultivated during his time at the cursed orphanage.

That cursed orphanage where he had learned to trust no one, to rely on himself for everything, for no one cared. Sucked into a daze, Tom was swept off into a whirl of emotions and memories. He saw himself, how he had cried out at night, hoping, wishing, wanting for someone to save him, to help him. No one had spared him a glance when he was in rags and his face gaunt due to the lack of nutrients given to him at the orphanage. No one had cared. No one. Even when Dumbledore had retrieved him from the hellhole had thought to tell him that he was the Heir of Slytherin, which would have saved him time and effort that he used to persuade the rest of Slytherin House that he wasn't just a nameless and weak mudblood. All the pain that he used to mould himself into someone strong, resilient and unbreakable, someone they would respect. Once he had proved them wrong, he had felt so powerful, as if nothing could stop him.

It wasn't until he got back to orphanage-without his magic to protect him- that he realized how weak he truly was. He was weak, worthless, unimportant, someone who would never amount to anything. These thoughts spiraled into a mantra of self-hate that had never gone away, no matter how much Tom wished it to. Worthless. Freak. All you'll ever be is a little freak, Tom, you should have known as much, his thoughts screamed at him, nearly driving the usually stoic and composed Dark Lord to his knees.

As if sensing his distress, his Lillian walked into the garden where he was being torn apart by his own malicious thoughts. She didn't say anything to him, just let her aura surround him, radiating her love for him. Lillian held him close, murmuring soft words of encouragement and positives that her magic echoed as it wrapped its bonded into a healing embrace. As Tom started to relax, Lillian slowly coaxed through her own memories of Tom through the bond. She sent memories where he was strong, powerful and most importantly she sent the memories that showed him that he was undoubtedly good enough. That Tom was good enough for their son, good enough to reshape the prejudice of the wizarding world, good enough for her.

Slowly, Tom's mind started to heal itself over as he woke himself up from his poisonous thoughts and memories as he sat, shaking as Lillian held onto him, showing that she cared. That she would never let him go through his demons alone. They were fighting his demons together, until he wouldn't have these attacks anymore and he could sleep at night without the nightmares to come and ruin him.

That's what these attacks were doing to him, not that he let it show to anybody outside his small group of friends and family. His demons were disintegrating him from the inside out, and he knew he had to get them out of his head before they got in the way of his everyday life. Instead of thinking the painful process that would eventually heal his mind, he let himself cling to his bonded as he let his impenetrable façade drop just for a moment.

-HCR-

April 21, 1982- The Nursery, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location.

Hadrian was confused. He didn't understand why his Dada didn't want to go into the pretty trees. Didn't his Dada see the pretty lights and shadows coming from the trees? Hadrian did; he could see the way they wrapped around himself, which was both shadows and lights yet not at all. Hadrian believed that he wasn't made up of lights or shadows but that he was a mix of the two, yet not at all. However, Hadrian didn't think his light-shadows mattered too much. What mattered to him were the trees. What were in the trees? Hadrian resolved to find out, no matter what his Dada said. Hadrian peeked over the railing of his crib so that he could see the pretty trees that had the pretty leaves and the pretty grass, not to mention the pretty lights and shad- was that a horsey? Horseys were one of Hadrian's favorite animals ever! Hadrian thought that all horseys were really pretty, too. The toddler's brow scrunched as he thought, he wanted to see the horseys and the light-shadows now!

With that wish, Hadrian disappeared without a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated :3


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, there's some smut in this chapter. enjoy!

Chapter 4: Creatures of the Forest

April 21, 1982- Forests Outside Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Hadrian looked around, eyes widening as he realized he could see the pretty trees all around himsel- Hadrian gasped as he saw the horseys that were near him. One of the horseys was black and was very pretty and he could see the shadows were wrapped all around it. Hadrian shook his head slightly. No, the shadows were a part of the horseys, not unattached from it.

The other one was just as pretty in Hadrian's opinion, as it was a horsey that was a pure white, completed with a stick on its face. Hadrian frowned as he wondered if his new friend was all right, since he didn't think it was normal to have a long pokey thing between your eyes. Hadrian knew that nobody he had seen before-not even Nagini- had something sticking of their face. Hadrian's brow scrunched up in confusion, his gaze questioning. Did it hurt? He hoped the horsey wasn't hurting.

He unsteadily got to his feet, stumbling towards the white 'horsey' with a questioning look on his face.

"Kay?" The Slytherin Heir questioned as he pointed to thingy that was still on the horsey's face. The supposedly hurt unicorn directed its light-energy towards the toddler. Hadrian stared on in fascination as the light touched his body, and radiated a sense of contentedness and peace, as if to reassure Hadrian that the horn wasn't hurting it.

Hadrian sagged in relief, realizing that his new friend was all right, and then tentatively let his own mix of light-shadows touch both of the animals. He giggled when the horseys let their lights and shadows mix together, as if welcoming the young Slytherin Heir to the place with the pretty trees. Hadrian's smile was stretched wide across his face as he unconsciously let his unbiased aura fill up the secluded clearing, relishing in the strange freedom he felt along with it.

-HCR-

April 21, 1982- Tom's Office, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Tom sighed as he finished going through his newest proposal for the Wizengamot, running his hands up his face and through his hair in exhaustion. His panic attack had sucked most of the life out of his body, making Tom wish that he could just crawl into bed with his Lillian, as he would wait for the nightmares to overtake him once again.

The Dark Lord nearly shuddered at the reminder of what the rest of the night would hold for him. Tom hated that even after so many years of separation from his days of weaknesses, his haunted memories could still creep up on him during the most inconvenient of times, much like they had earlier that day.

Tom unconsciously sent a burst of affection through the bond to Lillian as he thought about his bonded. Tom knew that a lot of his success in erasing the prejudice against the Dark aspects of Magic was due to his Lillian's influence on him. Lillian certainly lived up to-and even surpassed- her status as the Dark Lady, he thought with a fond smile.

His bonded had the uncanny ability to emotionally detach herself from any given situation and deliver a solution through the use of cold and harsh logic, no matter her position in the matter. It was this trait that allowed her to soothe Tom's more violent-and sometimes illogical- tendencies with her reasonable solutions. Tom was absolutely certain that without her, he would have become an unstably violent ruler that was hell-bent on revenge, uncaring as he let the world burn around him.

Besides, he wouldn't have half of the followers-nor the unwavering loyalty of them- if he had proceeded with his plan of offing over six billion humans-even if they were muggles. He would have likely exposed the wizarding world to the muggles before they were ready to face them- and win. After all, Tom knew exactly how cruel muggles could be, which was proved by the scars that still adorned his form.

Every silvery mark reminded him of what they had to loose if he failed. Dumbledore's end goal was peaceful co-existence with muggles and Tom was set on making sure that would never happen. The wizarding world could never be discovered before they were sure they had an incredible advantage over them.

Tom was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the figure of his bonded leaning against the door frame until his magic was fully wrapped in hers, letting out a contented hiss at the close contact with its bonded, its mate.

Tom swallowed as he was suddenly hit with waves of desire at the sight of his bonded's lithe frame casually leaning against the entrance to his office. Her face was half hidden by shadows, half illuminated by the moonlight, lids lowered as she started to feel the affects of his desire as it shot across their bond. Tom was hit with a wave of an unnamed maelstrom of emotions as he saw the way his Lillian's lips sensually curved into a coy smile. This ethereal creature of dark beauty was all his. She was his. Nothing would ever take her away from him, because he would protect her, cherish her and love her with everything he was capable of.

Lillian slowly swayed over to him and turned his high-backed office chair till it was facing her. She slowly sank down on his lap, her legs on either side of his own so she was effectively straddling him. Lillian's gaze burned through him, branding his soul as her own. She pushed her hair over her shoulder so that it cascaded down one side in mesmerizing waves the color of darkened blood as she leaned in to state both of their desires.

Their kiss started out slowly, lips molding together in sensual dance of passion. It was a slow, seductive kiss that brought out their innermost feelings for the other as their magic came together in an equally passionate embrace.

In an instant, as if a switch was turned on, their kiss turned into a desperately passionate clash of teeth and tongue as they allowed their carnal desires to become physically known. Even when they parted due to lack of oxygen, Lillian immediately turned her attentions to Tom's exposed neck, nipping and marking the pale smooth skin. Tom's head fell back in elation as Lillian's ministrations ripped a low throaty moan from deep within him.

In turn his hands took a possessive grip on Lillian's hips as he brought their hips together in a rush of pleasure from them both. Lillian gasped in ecstasy at Tom's movement, throwing her head back as her lids fluttered at the sudden pleasure that coursed through her veins.

Tom took the opportunity map out a fiery trail of pleasure down the smooth column of Lillian's neck, nipping and sucking at her pulse point until he heard the rewarding sounds of Lillian's gasping moan as she gripped his broad shoulders in fierce hold. The pain due to Lillian's nails digging into his skin only spurred him on as he worshipped her body, making sure that every bit of revealed skin received his attention.

Lillian pulled his head up so she could desperately plunge her tongue into Tom's mouth, moaning as Tom reciprocated the action, driving her desperate with need. Lillian directed her magic and it responded, vanishing both her and Tom's clothing until it was just them; skin against skin. Their lips parted, drawing ragged breath from the Lord and Lady of the Dark Sect. Tom hissed out a breath at her actions as the waves of pleasure at their movements over each other's bare skin nearly tore him apart.

He tightened his grip on Lillian's hips, gritting his teeth at the sound of Lillian's disappointed whimper as he stilled their grinding movements. It would be pointless to finish before they even started. With that thought in mind, he guided Lillian down onto him, groaning at his minx as she tightened her inner muscles around him on purpose.

He slammed up into her in retaliation, driving the mischievous emotions away from Lillian as she cried out in surprise. Lillian's breathing became more labored and transformed into high-pitched breathy moans as Tom continued to drive her mad with pleasure, driving into her with reckless abandon.

Lillian started moving down to meet his continued thrusts, nearly screaming as he hit her right there. She felt her aura combine with Tom's completely as he kept nailing that one delicious spot over and over. She was vaguely aware that she was babbling out a string of words as her Tom used his hold on her hips to drive her down even harder onto him. She didn't know how much she could last because it was just- oh oh oh!Lillian's orgasm tore through her with the force of a tsunami just as Tom bit down at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Tom was still thrusting up into her, causing electric like spasms to rocket through her veins as she tried to move again through the haze that had settled over her mind. Lillian ground down onto Tom as she tried to cause the same amount of pleasure he had given her. Tom's pace slowed down slightly at her pleasurable movements before pounding with the force of a thunderstorm.

A few hard thrusts later, he stiffened as his own release coursed through him, causing the waves of pleasure to crash over him and take him under. He buried his face into Lillian's collarbone as they slowly rode out their release. Their magical auras-which had become physically visible during their passionate actions- calmed, slowly entwining and mixing with the other as their magic exuded contentedness at their close proximity.

Tom exhaled slowly, placing soft and tender kisses from Lillian's collarbone to her lips before slowly kissing her, sighing into her mouth as she slowly moved her swollen lips against his own. Tom was sure that there was nothing that would, or could ever cause making love to his Lillian to be less than earth-shattering.

Tom helped Lillian slip back into her clothing, giving soft open mouth kisses to her skin as it was slowly covered up by silky cloth of her nightgown. When they were both dressed again, Tom took her in his arms and apparated into their bedchambers, intent on holding his bonded in his arms for the rest of the night.

Of course, that never happened.

Tally, one of the house elves of Slytherin Manor, came bursting into their room in a tearful state. Tom had immediately jumped out of bed, demanding what caused the elf to come into their room-uninvited- in such a state.

Tally tried to tell him, but he could only understand some words due to the distressed house elf's sobbing. Tom encased the elf in his magical aura-which was in a contented state due to his, ah, closeness with Lillian just minutes ago-and waited as the elf slowly calmed down.

When Tom deemed her to be coherent enough, he tilted Tally's head upward so her could look into her mind and see what was distressing his loyal house elf. Once Tom saw what had Tally so upset, he froze.

Hadrian was missing.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Lady of the Woods

April 22, 1982- The Cottage, Forests Outside Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Hadrian awoke with a start. This wasn't his room! Where was Mama? She was always there when he woke up. Hadrian looked around the room he was in with confusion. It was extremely different to anything he had ever seen before. Why was he there and where was his Mama?

Hadrian's brow furrowed in frustration. If his Mamma didn't want to be with him, then he would find her. He was her little snake; the most important thing in her life! She had said so herself. Hadrian huffed and pouted as he realized that the bed he was in was very high up. Hadrian thought about abandoning his mission to find his Mama, but then a picture of her flashed in his mind and he decided that he would find her, even if meant jumping down from the nasty high-up bed. The almost two year old got unsteadily onto his feet and then jumped.

The ground came faster than he expected and Hadrian shut his eyes. He didn't want to get hurt or his Mama would certainly be mad at him. Hadrian's youthful magic accepted the Slytherin Heir's subconscious plead and cushioned the toddler's fall as Hadrian landed on the floor on his butt.

Hadrian crowed in delight. That had been the most fun he'd ever had!

As the young Heir of Slytherin was busing fawning over his stunt, a shadowed sliver figure contemplated the toddler from the doorway. How could so much rest on the shoulders of one so young? The mysterious figure had known little Hadrian's destiny from the moment he had gazed upon her forest. It had only taken a simple nudge in the right direction and the young Riddle had come to her by himself! It was almost too easy.

She frowned at the thought. She would have to talk to Tom about this when he eventually found them. It wouldn't do to have their little electi taken by someone who didn't have his best interests in mind, like that Dumledoor fellow. In her opinion, he was just as bad as his counterpart and lover, Grinowal, or whatever their names were-she couldn't be bothered to remember them as they weren't important to her mission.

Her mission was to be a constant in Hadrian's life, to support his decisions in the name of Magic herself.

For that is what the two of them were together: Magic's last plead for help.

-HCR-

April 22, 1982- Tom's Office, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Tom was hopelessly anxious, though he couldn't let it show in his expression, otherwise some idiotic witch or wizard with delusions of grandeur would believe him unfit to be the leader of the Dark Sect which would create a bigger mess than Tom could deal with at the moment. Ever since he had found out about Hadrian's disappearance from Tally's panicking thoughts, Tom had been trying to keep himself from lashing out at everyone who crossed his path.

Unfortunately, due to the need to seem infallible to his entire following, Tom couldn't make the disappearance of his only heir to become public, otherwise it might also look like he couldn't make his son properly safe. So far, only the Malfoy's, Lestrange's and the Black's knew of their dilemma, as was their right as some of Hadrian's closest living relatives.

From the moment he knew of his son's disappearance, Tom had done everything in his power to get him back, including using one the darkest binding rituals he knew to call forth a minor deity in the hopes that they would even have an inkling of where his son had disappeared to. Unfortunately, the minor goddess he had called upon- Eris- had revealed that even she could not disclose Hadrian's location to Tom. In a rage, Tom's magic had banished the goddess of chaos, strife and discord from the ritual room before his magic pulsated with raw fury, blasting every single thing in sight apart.

The ritual had been Tom's last resort, as it was extremely taxing on his magical core to use that much of his magical reserves in such a short period of time. In the smoldering remains of the ritual room, Tom had sunk to his knees in despair, for if a deity- albeit a minor deity- couldn't tell him the whereabouts of his son, then how would he ever find him? He hadn't known how long he had been sitting on the stone floors that sapped him of all hope and heat until he was left feeling cold, hopeless and empty inside. It had felt like hours, years and yet it felt like no time had passed at all. His mind had been frozen with the notion that he couldn't find his little Hadrian, his heir and that all his frantic searching and hoping had been in vain.

For the first time in decades, Tom had felt useless. He had been trapped in that mind set until Lillian had come down in her post-panic emotionless state and handed him an enormous dusty tome whose cover was stained with blood- fresh blood- which made him believe that his bonded hadn't been able to keep away from murder in her quest to find their son.

Lillian had set up the next available room in the dungeons as their temporary ritual as they had decided to do the ritual together. The ritual itself was one that had been cross-referenced from a life magic ritual (life magic was considered to be the extremist's side of light magic) and a blood ritual that involved the blood of an innocent victim-who you had to kill during the actual ritual- and the blood of the being you intended to locate.

Tom had immediately noticed that the ritual used both life and death magics, two arts that were opposites on the magical scale, which was scarily similar to the way that his little Hadrian's magical aura was completely and utterly unbiased. Hadrian's magical core wasn't dark, light, or even neutral; Hadrian's magic was completely unbiased and only magic, a grey mixture of the two.

Although Tom didn't like the similarities between his son's magical nature and the nature of ritual, Tom was desperate and therefore went through with the ritual, killing a random man they found of the streets of muggle London. Lillian had taken the random pedestrian; they didn't know if he was of magical blood or not and it did not matter to them. All that mattered was finding their Hadrian so he could come back home to where he belonged, where they belonged: together.

Unfortunately, even when they completed the ritual that created the initial contact between those involved in the ritual, it would take time for the magic of the ritual to find the missing person; in this case, Hadrian.

This was the reason Tom was currently attending a meeting for all Lords and Ladies who held seats for the Dark Sect in the Wizengamot, even though he would much rather be at home, waiting for the ritual's magic to lock onto Hadrian's location. A burst of frustration flashed across his mind, because here he was, at a fucking 'Plans for the Next Wizengamot Meeting', which wasn't due until the summer solstice anyways. He was here, wasting his time instead of trying to do everything in his power to find Hadrian, his son. Tom could practically feel his blood boiling at the ridiculousness of this fucking meeting; he should be home searching for Hadrian!

Right as Tom was about to brutally and systematically murder every single stuffy politician in the meeting, he felt his bond to the ritual pulse. Tom froze; hope creeping up inside of him, like the gentle rays of the sun defrosting a beautiful flower after a long harsh winter. Suddenly he knew exactly where he could find his son.

Without hesitation the Leader of the Dark Sect cut into Archibald Odiosis' monologue- as it was well due to be over anyway- bid those present a good day and said they would continue the meeting later that week. Tom forcefully apparated himself through Archibald's pesky aniti-appartition wards, and landed in the foyer of Slytherin Manor, where his Lillian was waiting for him. They had their son to rescue, and perhaps people to torture as well for taking part of their family away from him.

-HCR-

April 22, 1982- The Cottage, Forests Outside Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Hadrian's giggles echoed through the forest as Helena's silvery hue of magic filled the small clearing, caressing the toddler's cheek fondly, as if welcoming him home. Helena smiled at the Slytherin Heir, drawing ever closer before crouching down before him. Hadrian looked up at the nice lady and smiled his biggest smile, because his Mama always said that it was how he could get people to like him the most. Even if he didn't know who his Mama was talking about, he still smiled at the ghostly apparition, because he wanted Lady 'Lena to like him.

Helena looked startled for a second before she smiled back at him softy, reaching out her hand to him. Hadrian took her hand, confused why her hand was so cold. Hadrian opened his mouth, ready to ask her his question, before he was ripped from Lady 'Lena's grasp. Hadrian reappeared at the edge of the clearing, pushed behind two familiar figures.

"Mama! Dada!" Hadrian nearly vibrated with happiness; he had found them! He hoped they wouldn't be mad at him for playing with Lady 'Lena.

Hadrian moved forward slightly to hug his Mama and Dada, but stopped when he felt his Dada's misty shadows wrapping around him. Don't move, they said, Stay safe. Safe? Hadrian didn't understand why his Dada thought he had to stay safe; there was nothing to be afraid of! Hadrian frowned, there was only them and the Lady 'Lena here- Hadrian gasped. They were probably mad at him for playing with Lady 'Lena and not going straight to them and now they weren't going to let him come back here ever again!

Hadrian ran over to his Dada, crying silently. He didn't want his Mama and Dada to be mad at him!

Tom glanced over at Lillian, and sent a signaling stream of emotions through their bond. When Tom felt a confirming emotion flit over from his bonded, he dropped behind her as Lillian erected a temporary time ward. The time ward allowed them to stay within the small area within the ward, without wasting even a second on the outside of the ward. However, it blackened everything outside the warded area so they were left 'blind' of their surroundings.

Tom dropped to his knees, enveloping Hadrian in his embrace. The Slytherin Lord felt small hands ball his robes in them before his son's frame shook with the force of his sobs. Tom drew back slightly; intent on making sure his son was fine before brutally maiming whoever dared to take Hadrian from them. As Tom met his son's orbs that were glassy with unshed tears, rage filled him at the thought of whoever had taken his son and hurt him like this.

The Dark Lord looked over his heir as he made sure Hadrian wasn't physically hurt before planting a kiss on his forehead and spinning around, ready to take on whoever had caused his son to cry.

Just as Tom was going to signal Lillian to drop the wards, he felt a magically influential presence envelope over them.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding here, Tom Riddle." A woman's voice reverberated through the wards, as well as the overwhelming impression that she wouldn't hurt them. Tom hesitated, before steeling his resolve and responding.

"A misunderstanding?" He asked incredulously. "How can you suggest that when you took our son from us?"

"I had no other choice." The voice responded in her holier-than-thou tone of voice. "If I had not taken Hadrian away here, he would have experienced something that would have repressed his magic irreversibly."

Lillian and Tom tensed, their thoughts echoing with questioning emotions.

Eventually it was Hadrian that voiced their questions in his childish speech, "La'y 'Lena, why?"

At the young Slytherin Heir's question, the voice- Lady Lena according to Hadrian- softened considerably. "Hadrian," She started, "You would have been taken when your father brought you to a meeting at the ministry by someone when they heard you talking to your father about your creature friends. This mean Lady would have tried to make you hate the creatures of my forest and beyond, which would have confused and hurt you, making you not want to use your magic for a long time."

Hadrian ohh'd with comprehension, while Lillian and Tom stood, frozen and confused at her words.

Tom was struggling with his maelstrom of negative emotions. He had come to rescue Hadrian and had accepted that they would most likely have to fight to make it out alive- even if he didn't like using such Gryffindorish tactics, they-she- had taken one of the only members of his family! Now he had to deal with the possibility that this 'Lady Lena' didn't take his son out of ill intent, though he wasn't completely convinced of her innocence in recent events.

"How can we be sure that this would have come to pass and that you are not trying to deceive us?" Tom asked warily. He decided that unless she gave substantial proof, he would first get his family out of wherever the hell they were and find out how to kill or permanently banish her later.

"If you take down your time-ward, I believe that I can convince you of the truth of these events." Her ever-steady response seemed to echo through their very beings.

Lillian shot a cautious look at her bonded as she slowly took down the wards surrounding them.

What they saw astounded them, as they hadn't gotten a good look at Hadrian's captor before they had disappeared behind the hastily drawn wards.

"Lady Grey?" Lillian asked tonelessly, only a slightly lift to the pitch of her voice giving away her surprise and incredulity.

"Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts, Helena?" Tom asked curiously, but not necessarily accusingly. The Dark Lord had encountered the Ghost of Ravenclaw when he was but a student and still set on the notion of horcruxes. Tom nearly snorted at the thought. He preferred being mortal to permanent insanity, thank you very much. Not to say he didn't have other protective measures in place that would make him very hard to kill by any witch or wizard's standards. Helena Ravenclaw responded to his question, drawing the Dark Lord out of his musings.

"Tom," She started slowly, "When you went to the Albanian Forest all those decades ago and retrieved my mother's diadem, you originally were going to use it to store a portion of your soul, correct?" Seeing Tom nod in confirmation, the ghost continued in her haunting, lilting speech. "My mother's diadem was one of the objects tying me to the mortal plane, so when you made contact with it, I used that contact to create a temporary connection to your centrum anima." She paused, tilting her head to the side as if in contemplation.

"Through this connection, I could understand all that you are; your hopes, dreams and desires. In that instant I understood everything you were and what you stood for- why you stood for it-which may be why I got a glimpse into a possible future for you, Tom Riddle. In this future, you used my mother's diadem as your first twisted soul-carrier, yet you were driven to create more of them, so you could be even further away from death's icy grasp. With every bit of your soul you tore off in the name of immortality," She spit the word out like it was a bitter poison. "the more you lost yourself, Tom Marvolo Riddle. You would have eventually created a persona that would originally come from an anagram of your name." Misty letters appeared in the air in front of the Ravenclaw Heir, reordering the name Tom Marvolo Riddle until they formed the statement I Am Lord Voldemort.

Tom stood frozen, shocked beyond belief by her statements. Seemingly satisfied by his reaction, Helena Ravenclaw continued her tale about the Slytherin Lord.

"You would have succumbed to insanity the minute you split your soul for the second time, leaving you with only twenty-five percent of your original soul intact. By the time you had created your third soul-carrier, your unique bloodline traits would have tried to save you in any way, shape or form before you completely destroyed yourself. With each time you would rip your soul apart after the third attempt, you became less human and took on more of your bloodline's traits as a result. You ceased to look like the young, charismatic man who could sway crowds with a single smile, and began to look more and more like a crude mixture of your human and creature forms. You lost your original goals and aspirations and began condoning things, such as wide-scale muggle hunts that would have exposed us to the non-magicals only half a century later." She puffed out a breath of air before continuing with a firey passion.

"Due to your actions in that future, Lord Voldemort," She hissed out mockingly, "the Wizarding communities were unprepared for the backlash of being exposed to every single six billion non-magicals on the planet and magic was extinguished, forever, as a result." Her voice took on a broken, pleading tone that was laden with desperation.

"She died. Our Mother, Magic, Lady Hecate, died and we could do nothing to save her. We were left helpless and without Her guidance." She took a shuddering breath as she tried to recompose herself from her sudden grief.

"When I saw that possible future, Tom." She stopped suddenly, looking up at Tom with large misty eyes, pleading for him to understand what she had seen that day. "I knew I had to do everything in my power to not let that happen, so I used the last bit of energy in the connection to turn your bloodline and magic against the splitting of your soul. Even when the connection disappeared, I knew I had to make sure that nothing of that nature would ever possibly happen again, so devoted myself to our Lady Hectate, and she told me of you." She took a deep breath and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, a small smile ghosting her lips.

"She told me to help you and your cause- as you had righted yourself and your beliefs- for it could still mean the difference between her life and death. To help you with this task you must complete. This burden that have you carried was unconsciously shared with your family and loved ones, and only if you can complete your part- together- can your children ever finish it and save her." She broke off abruptly; eyes ablaze with a passionate belief that made Tom and Lillian stop short. Could she really be telling the truth? If so, they both knew that they could never and would never abandon their Lady Hecate. It was only because of her that they even existed and they would not abandon her at the mercy of an unknown foe.

Their attention was drawn back to Helena's silvery form when she drew in breath to conclude her daunting monologue.

"And so," She continued softly, "I knew I had to tell you all that my Lady would allow me to, for you and those that revolve around you and your family are crucial to the my-our- mission for Her. That is all I ask for." She breathed out, her voice soft.

She straightened suddenly, staring through their very souls.

"Come back when you have reached a decision."

And with that she was gone, and the Dark Lord and Lady appeared on their grounds with their Heir, shocked to their cores.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Decisions, Decisions

April 25, 1982- Tom's Office, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Tom paced up and down the length of his office for what seemed to be the thousandth time. Confused, questioning emotions and thoughts swirled throughout his mind, creating a whirlpool of things he didn’t want to deal with at the moment. The Slytherin Lord growled, frustrated, as he ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends in aggravation.

“Tom, love, you’re just going to end up pulling your hair out at this rate.” Tom spun around, surprised. He had hardly seen his Lillian since the- ahem- incident in the woods. He still didn’t know how to deal with it- what they were going to about it, he didn’t know how to proceed with any of it. Right after they had landed back into the garden in front of the Manor, Tom had come up with multiple plans on how to deal with Helena Ravenclaw’s proposition.

He had dug up every possible option on how to proceed, yet he wouldn’t- couldn’t- go through with them, because anything he decided would be at the risk of his family. His small family of three- soon to be more, Tom thought. Lillian was just under three months pregnant, which was surprising, seeming as they had been celebrating the other’s presence quite frequently since the past Samahain. Tom shivered. Even though he hadn’t gone through with creating any horcruxes, he still felt uneasy every year on October 31. At the time, Tom had thought that getting back his wife and child on Death’s double-damned day just in spite would make him feel better about Thanatos in general- but apparently not. The thought of losing any of the people he cared about- which was an admittedly small group of people- to Death’s cold hands still made him tense up agitation and uncomfortable paranoia. Tom’s frame tensed reflexively and he scowled. This was supposed to be over! He shouldn’t still have doubts about whether or not he should be able to keep his family safe or not- it wasn’t natural! His instincts reared up at the thought, hissing in agitation. He would be protect his bonded, his child and their unborn baby at any cost- including his life and he would destroy anyone who said otherwise!

Tom took deep, slow breaths to steady himself and bring him away from the inhuman rage he had inherited from his ancestor.

“Did your colubri odium try to come out again?” Lillian asked softly, concern etched into her very being. Tom gritted his teeth to stop himself from hissing out a reply on reflex, before straightening and looking at his bonded once more.

“Unfortunately.” Tom replied in a casual drawl, fluidly gliding across the room towards his bonded. Lillian stepped forwards, stepping into Tom’s large and comforting embrace. She buried her face into the folds of his robes and breathed deeply, letting her magic come out and embrace Tom’s after being separated for the days after the relavations in the woods.

Lillian knew that her way of coping with traumatising events wasn’t particularly healthy, but it was the only way she knew how to deal with them. She suspected this was due to her training to becoming the next Lady Black, because if there was one thing that stuck in her mind after all those years was to never show weakness to anyone, even in the direst of circumstances. Therefor, whenever something happened that could let any of her emotions come through to direct or affect herself in any way, Lillian made sure to shut down any and all emotions that she felt until she became a vessel for cool, harsh-yet needed- logic. It was one of the reasons why she made such a formidable foe, both on the physical and magical battlefield as well as during a battle of wits. This coping mechanism was the only reason that she hadn’t lost her sanity from the idiotic actions of some of the population who believed that they could usurp her and Tom as the Leaders of the Dark Sect.

Due to this coping mechanism, Lillian had holed herself up in the Slytherin Library ever since the incident in the woods, trying to find the perfect solution to their dilemma.

Eventually, she had found an option that was both logical and accepting without being too needy- Lillian nearly shuddered at thought of acting like some loyal, eager puppy waiting to please its master. She had been raised as The Black Heiress, and nothing would make her act so plebian, even to a goddess as powerful as Hecate.

Tom- most likely guessing what she had been pondering about over their link- drew his face slightly to murmur, “Have you found a solution yet, my Lillian?” He let one of his hands draw down her cheekbone before tucking a strand of crimson hair behind her hair in a subconscious gesture of affection towards his only equal. Lillian sighed, pushing back to look up at Tom in pained determination.

“We must return to the forest.” She started, ignoring Tom’s aggravated hiss at her statement. “If there is any chance at all that the Grey Lady was telling the truth, then I do not wish to go against the one who is the reason for our magic’s existence, the reason that we are even bonded,” Lillian prodded, hoping that mentioning their coupling- however low of a move it may be- could convince both her husband and his instincts the logical points of her arguments. She took a breath, before continuing at a leisurely pace. “If anything, we can get more information out of the late Lady Ravenclaw before deciding what to do. However, I have found reason to believe that she is telling the truth, as I have found evidence in diary entries and the like from our ancestors which alludes to the much more accepted- and even casual practice of more powerful magics. If the Ministry, or whatever rudimentary government system existed at the time started to ban and ignore these more obscure branches of magic- wandless and elemental magics among them- that means that the average witch or wizard would be less connected and in tune with their own magics, as we both know most of the branches the Ministry currently consider dark” She sneered with distaste at this, “take much more focus and power from someone who is can entwine and merge with their magical stores at will.”

Tom smiled a feral, seemingly fanged grin as he quickly gained an idea on how to manipulate this into his favor within the Ministry, the Wizengamot and the double-damned International Confederation of Wizards.

Tom continued his bonded’s train of thought, speaking in a low, melodical whisper that grew with passion from every word that flowed out of his mouth. “We can use this to covertly spread our- and Lady Hecate’s- goals and wishes into the Ministry and beyond by letting someone, ah, discover this bit of information and by the time that idiot Fudge has even thought about denying it, everyone will already know and form their own doubts and conclusions from it. It’s perfect, love, because they will find enough evidence that supports it if we somehow make the knowledge somewhat available to the public, and we will not have to deal with the revolting masses that would want to deal with the fact that we all have been slowly killing off magic!” During his monologue, Tom’s face became more and more animated as he planned and plotted more ideas to use to get to their end goal.

“Easy, love.” Lillian smiled gently as she looked at the real-life excitement on her bonded’s face that was reflected through their bond. “We haven’t gone back to Helena’s cottage to find out if she was telling the truth yet.”

Tom deflated slightly at her words before brightening again. “But we can go now, right darling?” He grinned widely at Lillian’s small nod and fondly exasperated smile at her bonded’s antics and grabbed her hand, foregoing the proper pureblood etiquette that was required of him due to his Lord status, because damn it all, he hadn’t been this bloody excited about anything work-related in a long time!

Lillian gave a delighted shriek of laughter as her bonded rambled about his ideas for the Ministry while he simultaneously twirled her around on the grounds outside in his giddy state of excitement. As the world spun around in a blur of colorful anticipation that was reflected in Tom’s eyes and smile, she was reminded of the eagerly cunning man who had hid behind a charismatic mask whom she had originally fallen in love with.

-HCR-

April 25, 1982- The Cottage, Forests Outside Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

As soon as the delighted duet appeared at the edge of the clearing the cottage sat it, Helena Ravenclaw observed the Dark Lord and Lady’s attitudes. She was worried that she had gone too far- as she usually did on the extremely rare occasions that she got to talk freely about her Lady. In fact, she might have sounded slightly delusional in her speech. After all, she hadn’t told them about how they could help Lady Hecate or about any of the others. Well, she internally sighed, this was as good of a time as ever.

The Lady Ravenclaw appeared on the path that went from the cottage, snorting internally in amusement as Tom and Cassiopeia- although Tom and the rest of her family called her Lillian- Riddle immediately straightened, their pureblood masks firmly in place. In front of her was not the go-lucky couple that entered her clearing only minutes ago, but the Leaders of the Dark Sect. Cassiopeia- otherwise known as Lillian- bowed her head slightly in respect and acknowledgment of the timeless ghost, and Helena curtsied in return her lip briefly curling upward in amusement, waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions and demands regarding her statements and accusations from the previous day.

Apparently- out of the two of them, anyways- Tom was more eager to learn about the truth, as he began his and Lillian’s long list of questions in his deeply smooth tone of voice that has the slight wavering undertone that gives away his anxious excitement to finally get some answers, though it has only been minutes since Tom had become completely fixed on the topic.

“What proof do you have that Lady Hecate is communicating to you- to anyone- and that she wants to be saved, Lady Grey?” Tom started off with an easy enough question in his mind, as it is the easiest way to loosen up the person you are interrogatin- um- questioning.

The Ravenclaw Ghost breathed in once before starting her monologue. “When I originally looked to Lady Hecate for guidance after accidentally seeing a possible future of yours, Tom, and then altering it to avoid that future of death and destruction, I was the first soul that had ties to both the spiritual and mortal planes that had come to her seeking aid. My Lady offered me guidance and in exchange I became her vessel and gate to the two planes, as my lady has been pinned down by the harsh rules that are put upon most deities to restrict their interference in certain fixed events in time. This is the reason why even though Lady Hecate has been steadily weakening, she still hasn’t been able to tell anyone because she couldn’t interfere directly in any current events. I am now an extension of my lady and will serve her until she no longer has any need of me. I do not know how to convince you of this- but I will swear a Soul’s Oath if needed.”

“A Soul’s Oath?” Asked Lillian, curious as she had never heard of such a thing before. In response, a darkening silver patch appeared on both of the Lady Ravenclaws cheeks- was she blushing? Apparently so, as Helena answered Lillian’s question in a clearly embarrassed tone of voice. “It is the living’s version of an Unbreakable Vow, except that instead of tying the oath to my mortal magic or life force, the oath will tie onto my soul, which exists both in life and death- and therefore on both planes. To break a Soul’s Oath,” She shuddered at the mere thought. “If it doesn’t tear my soul apart into a painful non-existence, well, it will stain my soul’s regeneration states- reincarnation as most of the living call it- and I will bear terrible burdens in all of the rest of my lives until it is decided by the council that I have lived out my sentence.”

Tom felt the urge to cringe in sympathy, as that did not sound like a pleasant existence to live out- but stopped himself because as the Dark’s Lord and Leader, he could not afford to show any weakness, ever. Lillian squeezed his hand in a small show of comfort in response to the direction Tom’s thoughts were taking.

Helena Ravenclaw answered Lillian and Tom’s seemingly never ending list of questions until they were convinced of the truth of her statements, although that might have had something to do with the multiple Soul’s Oaths she had to take at the Riddles’ request. After multiple hours of speaking and answering their questions nearly non-stop, Helena asked her own infinitely important question to the Lord and Lady Slytherin.

“Do you accept?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, this chapter is the 7th of 9 total chapters I have written so far and I kinda let my muse decided where to take it after every chapter (although I also have some overall ideas for the story as well).


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more of an interlude than anything else because at the time my reviewers from fanfiction.net had requested some more explanations (as to the why's and how's of Lillian's spy status) so I gave them this chapter instead of the action-filled chapter I had planned (which happens next chapter).

Chapter 7: Contemplations

April 25, 1982- The Foyer of Potter Manor, Unplottable Location

Sirius Orion Black sat in the foyer of Potter Manor, contemplating the choices he had made over the course of his life. He was a spy for the Dark Sect, for his older sister who was now their Dark Lady of all things. Of course, the grimm animagus couldn't be more proud of her for it, yet he still felt conflicted. Sirius loved his family fiercely and with everything he had- contrary to what The Daily Prophet and the rest of Wizarding Britain believed- and it hurt him every day to pretend to hate his little brother, Regulus- Reggie- when all he wanted to do was shield his younger sibling from the hurtful and hateful words of his fellow Gryffindors. He hated the lion's bigotry with a passion and how they classified anything remotely Dark or Slytherin as 'evil'. However- not all Gryffindors were completely bad, Sirius reflected with a wistful smile.

No matter how much he had hated to admit it at first, Sirius had enjoyed had enjoyed his time with his fellow Marauders, James and Remus, though he had always despised the rat, Pettigrew- he was a Black after all, he did have standards. He knew that his older sister, Lillian had had no patience whatsoever for the Potter Lord when she had posed as Lily Evans, though she had kept her true feelings hidden underneath her perfectly crafted façade.

Sirius quickly amended his previous thought. No matter how much his older sister would try to deny it, her actions and behavior as Lily Evans hadn't been far off from who Sirius believed she had truly wanted to be. As a child, Lillian had been the most compassionate person in the entire wizarding world- although Sirius may have been a little bias with that opinion- and brightened up a room by simply being in it. However, no matter how much of a joy she had been to everyone, Lillian had and still was holding a secret and it was one of the original excuses- hidden under factual and logical explanations and reasons via their father Lord Orion Black (as no one could admit any sort of weakness to the Dark Lord, no matter how close you were to him)- to hide Lillian among the foolish little Light Witches and Wizards. Lillian had been born with a Natural Gift of Magic.

At first, Sirius had both envied and admired his older sister, but as he grew older and received more information about- both inherited and given- Natural Gifts of Magic, he was horrified and swore to himself to never to let his sister become prey to the prejudice and prosecution of those with a Gift, not to mention those like his sister who had Given Gifts. Sirius knew of a group of people- a network- that were named Morgause's Mercenaries after the witch of legend who was widely accepted to be Morgana's teacher, mentor, master and sister in all but blood. The 'Mercenaries' bought and sold the various body parts of those found out to have a Natural Gift, but not before experimenting on them in the name of whatever ideology or cult they believed in. It was this group of people that made Sirius' blood boil in fury when he thought about what they could have done to his compassionate, caring and bright sister when they were just children.

Sirius had just had his ninth birthday at the time, making Lillian almost ten years of age. As such, the Black Heiress had been starting to follow their father to the Ministry and Gringotts so that she could start to understand and learn how to manage the family's holdings in preparation for when she would become the Lady Black. Sirius remembered that he had protested loudly at the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to do yet another thing that Lillian could do, not because he had ever blamed her- he had just wanted to take the opportunity to pin the blame on their parents in hope for some sort of gift as reward for eventually 'understanding and acknowledging the situation (he was a Slytherin at heart, after all).

Thinking back on it, Sirius didn't know how in the bloody hell his parents had ever been able to stand raising the combined force of Lillian, himself and Reggie- he was sure that if he had been in his parent's place he would have gone mad.

As Sirius played back the memories of all of the, well, marauding he and his siblings had participated in during their childhood, he was hit with a strong blow of longing to be back with his family, in the Dark, where he belonged.

Eventually, he remembered the reason for his ponderings in the first place and continued reliving one of his most painful memories, yet the one that reminded him of what there was to loose if he failed in his assignment from the Dark. He needed to remember regularly, otherwise Sirius was afraid he would loose sight of what was important, most likely due to his amber-eyed friend that he couldn't stop thinking about.

Sirius recalled that on that particular day, Lillian had gone with their father to view one of the Wizengamot meetings as many heirs and heiresses her age were doing. As it had been the first time she was at a meeting their father Orion had to formally ask the entire Wizengamot for permission to 'allow his heir to gain experience from observing the doings of their noble court', which Sirius still believed was a load of hogwash to make the precious Lords and Ladies of their noble society feel better about themselves.

While their father had been asking the Wizengamot so graciously- Sirius sniggered at the thought- for permission to allow Lillian inside, the Dark-Lady-to-be had been approached by Ophelia and Demetrius Hagardy, who were a side-branch in the House of Prewett- as Demetrius was a muggleborn and therefore it was safer to be umbrella'd under the Prewett's influence and power in wizarding society.

Lillian, being the joyful child she was, had responded eagerly when the married couple had politely asked of her wellbeing, though Sirius knew that they had never intended to just exchange pleasantries with his older sister. When Lillian had responded in kind, asking about their day, Ophelia had 'admitted' to have been feeling ill for a reason unknown to her and her husband- when in reality she had willingly fed herself a faulty potion only minutes before. Sirius childishly wished that (if they hadn't been brutally murdered by his own family in retaliation of their later actions) Ophelia had been in danger due to her 'sickness' and had dropped dead on the spot as a result or that she had been compelled to throw herself in a volcano earlier that day for even thinking of hurting his sister.

Of course, that hadn't happened and Lillian's gifted magic had reacted immediately to its carrier's wish for the woman to feel better, and when Ophelia had immediately felt the affects of the bad potion disappear, what they had originally suspected was confirmed. Lillian had a Natural Gift, Sirius concluded with a mental sneer towards the despicable pair. He hated them for what they had done next.

The Hagardy's had taken Lillian roughly by the arm in a state of triumph, bursting into the Wizengamot chambers and declaring that they had found one of them, as if what Lillian had been gifted with was some sort of disease to be disposed of. When asked to clarify by the Chief Warlock, Albus Too-Many-Fucking-Names Dumbledore, they explained that they had found someone guilty of performing Black Magic, nevermind that the witch they were accusing was a Merlin-damned child. The majority of the court- the Light Lords and Ladies- were all too eager to judge Sirius' innocent big sister due to the steady increase of the prosecution of any and all 'Dark Magic' since Grindwald's fall and Dumbledore's instatement into many positions of power. Sirius knew for a fact that many of the Lord and Ladies that had voted her guilty- with nearly no evidence in a mere mockery of a trial- had seen privy to Lillian's constant bubbly presence and acts of kindness towards anyone and everyone. But nooooo, that hadn't mattered to anyone, all they had seen was another Dark figure to be put down. His father hadn't even been able to raise a single protest before they had declared their light- their Lillian- guilty of practicing Black Magic. Albus Dumbledore had slammed down the gavel as their final answer and had signaled for the Ministry guards to take her away to the holding cells where she would remain overnight until she could be transported directly to Azkaban.

What had happened next had astounded Sirius every single time he viewed the memory- be it in a pensive or otherwise- and it was one of the few moments that showed him how exceptionally powerful a child's- anyone's- emotions could be.

As she was being dragged across the Wizengamot's pristine floors to her doom, Sirius' lovely, wonderful sister had snapped. She had sunk to the floor with tears streaming down her face and screamed. The shrill sound pierced the all of Wizengamot Members who had voted her guilty, making them quake in mixture of pain in fear at the full force of Lillian's desire to make them pay. When Sirius had first heard her cry in his father's pensive at the age of eleven, it felt like her magic had been able to reach him through time, through a memory, forcing him to relive all of his worst memories and experiences. It had nearly driven him to his knees in the force of her desperate raging pain.

Her primitive shriek- which had simultaneously asked for help and demanded everything from the guilty parties through rage and hatred- had made her gifted magic react ruthlessly. It had forced its way into the core being of every single guilty Members and made them forget that she was ever there.

She made them feel the extent of her pain and forced them to relive their worst nightmares, fears and mistakes, until all they knew was just what she felt. They felt her betrayal at their actions, her helplessness combined with the desire to destroy them. To Sirius viewing the memory, he had been filled with an unnatural need to help her, to save her and free her from her never-ending pain, making him reel from the force of her manipulating magic.

Her inhuman, never-ending screams echoed across the chamber as she sat there on the floor, glowing with internal power that would not and could not be contained. Her usually cheery green eyes darkened maliciously and her face visibly hardened at the betrayal of all she knew. She had stayed that way until their father had managed to find his way down to his daughter and she had collapsed in their father's embrace, her face blank and unfeeling.

The Ex-Gryffindor remembered that it had taken months- years for his sister to recover from the emotionless shell she had become after the incident, all the way up until the time she had to act as the muggleborn named Lily Evans. When their father had told them of his and their Lord's plan to hide her among her enemies- through the persona of the muggleborn witch, no less- his older sister had thrown a fit. Although she had already been eleven at the time, Sirius now believed- knew- that the experience had permanently marked his sister, making the boisterous young child she had been into an unfeeling pureblooded witch. For those few years before they had gone to Hogwarts together, Sirius had lost his older sister. He had lost the charismatic older sibling whom he had loved so much and had needed in his childhood.

In the following year, the Black Family had lost all of its cheer and it wasn't hard for the The Daily Prophet- through Angela Skeeter- and by proxy the rest of Wizarding Britain to assume that they had all done some sort of Dark Ritual that had eventually sapped them of their every emotion. That had been one of the only times that the Wizarding Britain had been truly able to wound Sirius. They had scorned and sneered at them while his once cheerful house had felt like a Merlin-damned morgue. They had retreated back into Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, no longer switching between the somber establishment located in Muggle London and Black Manor's extensive property in France. Lillian had gotten slightly better as she had tried to reach out to them at regular basis, but she still wouldn't be the young and bright child she had once been ever again. Sirius had spiraled into depression alongside the rest of his family as he tried to come to terms with the fact that his sister was gone and that he would never get her back.

According to their family's personal healer- a kindly old witch by the name of Gertrude- when Lillian's magic had reached out to punish those at the Wizengamot session, she had unintentionally found their truest desires, thoughts and opinions by grasping at the core of their beings and had been unable to deal with the consequences. It had forced her to mature a pace that was way too fast for her age to understand what she had been feeling and seeing from the hundreds of Wizengamot members. At the same time, her true maturity level had been frozen as a way to cope with all the images and feelings she had been experiencing all at once. The result was that Sirius' loving sister had been caught between two personas of her true self; one was of a child's mentality, maturity and emotions and the other one had been that of a hardened adult that seen far too much in her lifetime. In an effort to control the battling personalities in her mind, the animagus' reason for nearly everything he did in his life shut everything down. She blocked out nearly every thought and feeling until she became the perfect Heiress.

Other purebloods had congratulated their family on what a 'sound Heiress' they had, believing that her stoic calm and sharp wit was due to a perfected mask. It had silently tore their family to pieces, believing that they would never get their daughter back to her true self.

It was understandable that they were so surprised by the display of emotion when their father had proposed his carefully constructed idea. In that one instance, they had got what remained of their beloved Lillian back, even if it was through an admittedly childish temper tantrum. It was as if the proposition that Lillian would be separated from her family for unknown amount of time had stunned her out of her emotionless trance. She had begged them, tears streaming down her reddened face, to let her stay. To let her stay where she belonged, where she wanted- needed- to be.

They had eventually convinced her to go- to become Lily Evans- on the basis that Sirius would be with her so that she wouldn't be estranged from her entire family (they had had to get special permission from the Board of Governors to let Sirius go to Hogwarts a year early). Their father had hated to see them both go, but he had known that Lillian's safety was far more important, as Albus Dumbledore had started to come up to them, enquiring about their daughter with a knowing twinkle in his bright blue eyes. They couldn't even chance that he would find out about Lillian's gift, for he would fight tooth and nail to get her under his influence so he could profess to the Wizarding World that he had- once again- saved an innocent from Damnation. In this case damnation would most likely be represented by the Gifted's statuses as Dark Witches and Wizards, as Wizarding Britain wasn't too fond of anything perceived to be even mildly Dark or powerful, Sirius thought with scorn. The plan had been to have Lillian pose as Lily Evans- the muggleborn that had been 'created' not long after Lillian's birth in case she ever needed to use a second identity (though they created these personas for every Black member in case they were on the run from authority figures or something similar, not to hide)- up until the time she was twenty one years of age, where her Gift would have settled, as it did in nearly every other case of a Gifted Witch or Wizard.

However, it wasn't until later that it became clear that they were in perfect roles to smuggle information on the Light back to the Dark when they had finally settled with their friend groups. It just so happened to be that multiple influential light figures were suspected of either leading, supporting or founding Morgause's Mercenaries and was the main reason why Sirius hadn't followed his sister back to the Dark Sect. Well, that and the fact that he couldn't seem to leave his fellow amber-eyed marauder that he definitely wanted to be more than friends with.

Merlin, he really was hopeless when it came to the werewolf, Sirius thought with a resigned sigh.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: NONE OF MY BOLDED, ITALICIZED (sp?), ETC. WORDS WERE COPIED INTO THIS AND I WILL TRY TO FIX THAT ASAP. but right now i'm really tired and really just want to go to sleep.

Chapter 8: A Matter of Life…

June 20, 1982- Tom's Office, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Tom was nervous. Actually, he was anxious. Well- he simultaneously couldn’t wait to get this over with- finally- but he also wished that it would never end. He felt like if he did accomplish what he hoped to, he wouldn’t know what to do next. This was something he had wanted ever since he met the so-called ‘Leader of the Light’. Ever since the first time Albus Dumbledore had visited him- though interrogated fit better in Tom’s mind-  at Wool’s Orphanage, Tom had hated the long-bearded wizard with his entire being.

At the time, Tom had been secure in the knowledge that he finally had the means to protect himself from his tormentors. Even if the children had whispered that word- freak- when they thought he was out of earshot. Tom had known better, of course. He was special. He could do things that no one else at the orphanage could. He had a gift, and he told himself that he was therefore strong enough to do anything he liked, including living every day like their words didn’t hurt him. No, their insults were just the barbs of childish jealousy. No, their words didn’t affect him. No, he didn’t want someone to show they cared. No. He was fine; he always had been. He had been a king ruling an empty kingdom, and he had been fine with that.

At least, he had been fine with it, up until the day that the Transfiguration Professor had ‘visited’ him. Albus-Bloody-Dumbledore had set his possessions- the only things that he, Tom, owned- on fire. These were the objects that were the physical representation of his triumph over his tormentors and Tom had thought they were gone, forever; burned into unrecognizable ashes. Afterwards, Dumbledore had dared to smile at him and tell him that those objects weren’t actually destroyed. Tom had recognized what that piece of magic had represented- after all, he had done it every single time a new kid came into the orphanage and thought they were better than him, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Similarly, on that fateful day, Dumbledore had attempted to show him that he held power over him. Tom scoffed at the mere thought. As if.

From that day, Tom had sworn to himself that he would one day destroy everything the old man was and cared about.

Now, he finally had the means to destroy Dumbledore once and for all- and that was where his conflicted thoughts originated from. On one hand, he could finally kill the old coot and be done with it- eliminating the one threat there was to him and his cause. However, he knew that after this he would be in unfamiliar territory. He could only guess as to how the public would react to the headmaster’s death and that was not something he liked.

Tom had always prefered to know- or be able to accurately predict- what would happen in any given situation. When he would kill Dumbledore, he didn’t know how the public would react and that was something that Tom disliked. He needed to find a way to direct the masses but he didn’t know how- that’s it! Tom thought triumphantly. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before; it was so simple yet he knew it would work. A malicious smirk stretched across his lips at his idea. It was perfect.

After all, he doubted that Dumbledore would want the Wizarding World to be aware of his- relations- with Grindelwald.

If Tom was being honest with himself, it had been mere luck that had led him to this information, and in the effort to erase the mental image that came along with it he had almost forgotten about it.

Tom had been in one of his last years at Hogwarts- his sixth if he remembered correctly- and had been exploring the seemingly endless secret passages in the school. After he had found Salazar Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets he had realized that the basilisk's residence was not the only parseltongue-activated area of the castle. On one of the many days he had been exploring, he had accidentally stumbled into what seemed to be Dumbledore’s bed chambers.

Being the Slytherin he was, he had immediately searched the room for any leverage against his hated professor- after he had made sure the aforementioned professor hadn’t been present, of course (he wasn’t a foolishly idiotic Gryffindor).

He hadn’t found anything after fifteen minutes and had been ready to give up and leave, but he had seen something glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He had turned around- confused- as he had searched the entire room multiple times already and hadn’t noticed what in Morgana’s Knickers he had just seen. He had turned his head, eyes flitting rapidly from place to place, trying to spot what he had- Ah hah! He definitely had spotted something, but like before he couldn’t see it looking at it head-on.

He had tilted his head, contemplatively, and had slowly traced his steps back to the source of the glimmering, all the while making sure to only look at it from the edge of his vision. His steps had led him to a seemingly blank, normal section of stone wall. He had prodded the surface with his magic, testing for any energies concealed to the naked eye. His magic had slipped off a barrier of some sorts.

After a few minutes of prodding with both of his magics’ -using them to implement his will to be granted access to the hidden space as one of Hogwart’s Heirs- it had opened.

It had resembled a crude safe that had held a single vial filled with silvery liquid. Tom, of course, had recognized it for what it was immediately: a memory. Tom had left Dumbledore’s room soon after, not wanting to get caught trespassing. He had, of course, created a touch-activated compulsion web in the vault-like space before leaving the bedroom. His spells had weaved the compulsion web so that when the Deputy Headmaster returned to his chambers and checked up on the hidden space, Dumbledore’s mind would suddenly deem the space and any memories surrounding it as unimportant. The web would trap the old wizard’s mind, rendering him completely unaware of what had transpired.

Tom had slipped back into his dorm room, practically shaking in excitement. He finally had something that he could use as leverage over the only person that stood between him and complete domination of the wizarding world- at this point in his life, he still had aspirations of becoming the “Supreme Ruler of the Wizarding World” (he had seen the title in a comic book the summer before at the orphanage and had thought it fitting).

It hadn’t been until months later that Tom had been able to find a pensive that he could use to view the Leader of the Light’s memory. If he had known the contents of the memory, he doubted he would have submerged himself in the silvery substance of the Pensive, Tom mused. It was something that had shocked him to his very core to the point that he decided to use it only in emergencies in a desperate attempt to forget about the graphic images he had witnessed.

Of course, it wasn’t everyday that Tom was trapped in a Pensive memory of the person he despised and the fearsome German Dark Lord showing their mushy, hufflepuff feelings towards one another- not to mention the unwanted pornography displayed by the two wizards. Tom remembered that he had been trapped inside the Pensive memory, unable to escape from the images presented to him. He had seen every little thing that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had done together, from plotting world domination to their love life, and he even witnessed their fallout in which Dumbledore’s younger sister, Arianna, was killed in the crossfire.

It was quite strange, Tom mused to himself; he couldn’t quite remember why he had forgotten the memories in the first place, but that did not matter to him at the moment- all that mattered was that he finally had a way to control the Wizarding World’s inevitable outburst after he would kill Dumbledore. Dominik, one of the lower-ranked members of his court, had finally been able to break through the mental defenses hiding Dumbledore’s location within the mind of Aberforth, who was Dumbledore’s brother.

It was time for that fool to die, Tom thought savagely. Tonight was the night that the old fool would die and Tom would enjoy every second of it.

-HCR-

June 20, 1982- The Cottage, Forests Outside Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Helena Ravenclaw looked up at the moonlit forest surrounding her little clearing. It seemed as though Tom Riddle had finally made his first move. It was time to inform her Lady of the young Lord’s decision so they could start marking the rest of their loyal ones. Tom and Lillian were the first to join her Lady’s noble cause, but The Gray Lady knew that there were so many more who would aid them in their path to victory.

-HCR-

June 20, 1982- The Small Cottage,  Unplottable Location

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sipped on his honey-sweetened tea, contemplating his life. The crackling embers of the fire were slowly dying out, casting heavy shadows across his sitting room, but the Leader of the Light didn’t mind. He was sitting on his favorite stuffed chair that sat against the wall, looking to the rest of the room and his polished wand that sat on the table in front of him, glistening in the faint moonlight. He turned his head slightly to look at the weaning moon; it was little more than a sliver and yet it seemed to cast such bright light on everything it gazed upon. The corners of his lips on his wrinkled face tilted upwards slightly as he gazed upon the serene moonlit scenery outside.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts sighed heavily, turning away from the tempting beauty of the night. He knew that he had done many wrong things in his life, many of which he would never be able to fix or undo.

In his foolish youth, he had believed that what he and Gellert had been planning was the right thing to do; he had thought it was what had been needed. The colossal vitality of his illusion had cost him both his sister and his relationship with his brother, Aberforth. Even now, his brother blamed him for little Ariana's death, refusing to meet or even talk to him.

Yes, there were many things that he wished he could change about his life. Hindsight was a wonderful thing, after all.

However, he still felt that there was so much that he could give to the world yet at the same time he didn’t know how to ever show it due to the untouchable ‘Leader of the Light’ facade that he had created for himself. His bright eyes were downcast as he pondered if there even was anything that he could do at this point. He had acknowledged and accepted his prior mistakes, but he somehow felt that this was not his end. Sybil herself had hinted that his end was near, yet he hoped that one of his portraits or maybe even his ghost would stand the test of time pass his knowledge of forgotten spells and obscure magics down to the future generations of witches and wizards.

The wizened old wizard set his chipped tea cup down on the wooden coffee table in front of him before leaning back into the cushiony warmth of the worn chair. He rubbed his knobbled fingers on his wrinkled eyelids, trying to fight Morpheus’ welcoming darkness. He let his hands slowly fall back to rest on his lap, the tips of his fingers overlapping one due to his slightly clasped hands. Maybe he would just close his eyes for a second. Yes, that sounded nice. Slowly, and softly, the Leader of Light fell asleep, the embers in the fire place slowly dimming the room until all of the light came through the windows by the soft glow of the moon.

-HCR-

June 20, 1982- The Small Cottage,  Unplottable Location

The weathered floorboards groaned and groused under Tom’s feet, making him abandon his plan to assassinate his former professor stealthily. He took a split second to straighten his posture and set his face into an emotionally detatched mask before striding through the doorway into the adjoining room.

Upon entering the room, he was mildly surprised for a moment at the homely, almost muggle-like state of the room, right down to the old-style radio playing soft classical music on the mantlepiece- Bach if he remembered correctly. As he directed his gaze across the room filled with old stuffed chairs- one occupied by the old bastard himself- he let a smirk slowly spread across his face. His eyes snapped to his Dumbledore who was completely defenseless as he dozed on, unaware of the dangers that were- quite literally- in front of him.

Just as Tom was readying himself to kill the old bastard once and for all, he was suddenly assaulted with the memories of his own torment at the hand of a laughing Billy Stubbs while the rest of the orphans looked on, laughing maliciously. It was over in a millisecond, but it felt like eternity for the Dark Lord who had once been a helpless orphaned boy. He tightened his grip on his wand, his expression tightening and his eyes glinting with ruthless determination. He opened his mouth to utter those two fateful words, but the bearded old wizard shifted slightly before Tom could actually just kill him.

He decided to allow the old fool to know just whose hands he died at, for the Leader of the Light would be dead at the end of the night regardless. He stood stoically, although impatient as he waited for his formed Professor to wake up and face his destiny.

Dumbledore slowly cracked his eyes open, rubbing them with his knobbled hands and calmly looked upon the rage-filled Tom Riddle standing in the middle of his living room. His eyes saddened at the sight of his old pupil. The now powerful Lord seemed to always be the epitome of the failures he had committed over the years, so the Headmaster of Hogwarts supposed that it was only appropriate that Tom would be the one to finally set things right for him. He had always said that death was ‘the next great adventure’, so he supposed it was time that he lived up to his words of wisdom.

It was finally time for him to die.

“Hello, Tom.” Albus smiled warmly in greeting towards the most powerful wizard in Britain. Tom bristled in anger at the assumed familiarity.

“You never earned the right to call me that,” Tom hissed out back at the wizard before him. Albus’ expression dimmed marginally at the statement.

“No, I suppose I never did earn the right.” He murmured, his eyes assessing the younger wizard’s hostile stance and expression.

Tom didn’t answer, choosing to glare at the Headmaster instead.

The old wizard sighed, pushing his half-moon spectacles farther up his crooked nose.

“I’ve wanted to apologize to you for many years, Tom,” Albus stated, sighing. “I believed you would never allow me to do so, so I suppose that now is as good of a time as ever. After all, it won’t matter what I do by the end of the night.” The Defeater of Grindelwald looked pointedly at Tom’s wand which was still directed towards him.

“If that is so,” Tom began, flashing his teeth savagely at the Leader of the Light, “Then why did you shun me from the beginning? Was it because the noble Salazar Slytherin happens to be my ancestor, Dumbledore?” He paused contemplatively for a split second before he bared his teeth ruthlessly in a glint of white bone, his eyes filled with a passionate hatred for the man before him. “Or was it because I reminded you of two boys who believed that they could change the world by achieving world domination?” Dumbledore looked up at the imposing figure before him in absolute shock, fear coursing through him at the mere mention of his relationship with Grindelwald. How did Tom know?

The Dark Lord- who had been scanning his enemy’s wrinkled face for any response to his words- grinned viciously at his victim. He felt a savage kind of victory as he watched Dumbledore fold in on himself, pain-filled tears falling down his face at the onslaught of memories he was facing.

“I know everything about your little lover, Headmaster,” He jeered, feeling pleased with himself as the ‘great’ Dumbledore broke down even further at his last sentence, crumpling onto the floor helplessly as his frail body shook with uncontained sobs.

Tom reveled in his victory, his eyes drinking in the sight of the old man in the position he used to be in. Let’s see how you handle the panic attacks, old man, He thought darkly. Let’s see how you like them.

A subtle nudge from Lillian’s side of their mental bond had him alert of her presence immediately. His bonded’s presence filled his consciousness as she searched for the source of his sadistic glee. He immediately felt her exasperated amusement as well as her impatience fill his mind at the picture Dumbledore’s pathetic form lying upon the worn floorboards. She soon left his mind, but not before leaving with a parting message. Come home, she whispered in his mind, filling Tom with a warm feeling that he could not explain in words. Come home to me, to your children. Hadrian misses you and so do I. Besides, the your two little rascals are kicking more than usual, his Lillian added snarkily. Tom nearly chuckled out loud at her statement. Lillian had become more and more sarcastic as she progressed further and further in her pregnancy. And if you come home and get blood on the floor, I will kick your bloody ass, even though doing things with added weight from the twins is nearly impossible. Tom knew she was being serious, as her raging hormones made her actions unpredictable and although he loved his Lillian, he knew that she could use his pressure points for near-torture without any remorse. I love you, we all love you. Come home, she finished and Tom suddenly felt barren and empty without her comforting aura surrounding him. He shook the feeling off quickly as he looked at Dumbledore.

Tom sighed heavily. He supposed that his playtime with his victim was over. Besides, spending time with his family was far more important than killing Albus-bloody-Dumbledore. Tom latched onto the Headmaster’s vulnerable mind with a fierce grip, forcing Dumbledore out of his panic attack until the old man blearily focused on the Leader of the Dark Sect. Tom looked at what was left of the once great wizard with remorse. He had gotten his revenge on him, but this was not how this admittedly incredible man should meet his end.

The frail wizard opened his mouth, no doubt to apologize once again, but Tom silenced him with a harsh glance.

“Dumbledore,” He started, almost hesitantly, “I understand that you feel remorse for your previous actions and decisions.” Tom gained more confidence in his words, which became more and more pronounced with each word he spoke. “If I had given into my childish arrogance, I would undoubtedly hate the choices I had made.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Thank Morgana I didn’t make those choices, but that does not mean I am a good man with a righteous set of morals, just like you realizing your failures in life- including your decisions surrounding me- does not make up for the things you have done. I therefore cannot offer you my forgiveness, as you do not deserve it, but I do recognise and respect your honesty even on the verge of death. That is all I can offer you as of now, old man,” Tom finished, looking directly into Dumbledore’s slowly warming blue hues.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Mugwump and Defeater of Grindelwald, looked at his former student and smiled.

“That is all I can ask for, my boy.” Dumbledore finished, his eyes watery yet his expression remained grateful. He was going to die now, finally happy.

He was free.

Albus Dumbledore died with a warm smile upon his lips.

Tom left the small cottage quietly, feeling significantly lighter than when he had arrived.

-HCR-

June 20, 1982- Hadrian’s Bedroom, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location

Hadrian awoke with a start, cold sweat making his shirt cling to his shivering skin. He panted heavily, feeling completely overwhelmed. What was happening? Where was his Dada? Hadn’t he been there a moment ago? Right as the thought left his mind, a light prettier and brighter than he had ever seen before surrounded him. Hadrian blinked curiously.

“Pwetty?” He asked of the bright magic. Almost in answer, the lights glowed even brighter before concentrating itself towards the Slytherin Heir’s chest, burrowing itself in a cocoon of Hadrian’s unbiased magic. It shuddered slightly before calming down, seemingly becoming dormant. Hadrian’s magic purred contentedly at the visitor, although the toddler still felt like something was still missing there. The little boy yawned sleepily before curling back up against Nagini’s sleeping form and soon fell fast asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the chapters that I have written so far (this chapter was published on Dec. 11) but I will try to get the next one to you guys as soon as possible. My original plan was that I was going to try to update once every 1-2 weeks, but now that I got badly injured and will be confined to boredom (due to the fact that I'm on crutches) I will try to update even more regularly.   
> That's all for now!   
> Bella

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback are always appreciated :3


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